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Alexandre Burrows
| birth_place = Pincourt, Quebec, Canada | draft = Undrafted | draft_year = | draft_team = | career_start = 2002 }} Alexandre "Alex" Burrows (born Alexandre Ménard-Burrows on April 11, 1981) is a French-Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and an alternate captain for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing Career Junior & Minor Playing Career Alex played two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Shawinigan Cataractes, beginning in 2000–01. He recorded 16 goals and 30 points over 63 regular season games, then added three points over 10 post-season games. The following season, he improved to 35 goals and 70 points over 64 games, third in team-scoring, behind Jonathan Bellemare and Jason Pominville. Alex went on to lead his team in post-season scoring with nine goals and 21 points in 12 games as the Cataractes advanced to the Conference Finals, where they were eliminated in seven games by the Victoriaville Tigres. Undrafted by an NHL club, Alex went professional in 2002–03 with the Greenville Grrrowl of the ECHL, a third-tier minor league. Late in his professional rookie season, he transferred to the Baton Rouge Kingfish and finished with a combined 32 points in 66 games between the two teams. The following season, in 2003–04, he returned to the South Division, as he was signed by the Columbia Inferno. Early in the season, Alex was signed by Columbia's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on October 21, 2003, having been scouted by Moose general manager Craig Heisinger. He appeared in two AHL games for Manitoba before being sent back down to the ECHL. Shortly after his return, Alex was suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount by the league for abusing officials during a game on October 24 against the Greensboro Generals. Later on in the season, he was named to the 2004 ECHL All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference and recorded one assist. He went on to finish the season with 29 goals and 73 points, second in points among Columbia players to league-scoring champion Tim Smith. In the subsequent off-season, Alex was re-signed by the Moose on August 3, 2004. He was initially sent back down to the ECHL after a training camp both he and head coach Randy Carlyle described as disappointing. Following an injury to Wade Brookbank, he was recalled on October 29, 2004. Alex scored his first AHL goal with the Moose five days later, a game-winning goal against goaltender David LeNeveu of the Utah Grizzlies in a 2–1 win. He finished the 2004–05 season with Manitoba and posted 26 points over 72 games in a fourth-line role. Vancouver Canucks Having worked his way up from the ECHL, Alex's energetic play in the minors earned him a two-way contract with the Moose's NHL affiliate, the Vancouver Canucks on November 8, 2005. He had appeared earlier in the Canucks' training camp for the 2005–06 season, but was sent back to the Moose. After recording 30 points in 33 games with the Moose, Alex was recalled by the Canucks on January 2, 2006. Eight days later, he scored his first career NHL goal against Ed Belfour of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also added an assist as the Canucks won the game 4–3. Establishing himself on the Canucks roster, he added his first NHL career hat trick on March 27, 2006, in a 7–4 win against the Los Angeles Kings. Alex finished with seven goals and 12 points over 43 games in his NHL rookie campaign. His ascension to the NHL has been attributed to his hard-working and abrasive style of play, generating momentum for his team and aggravating opposing players. Alex contributed primarily on the team's penalty kill, which ranked first in the league. Burrows' average shorthanded ice time per game was second among team forwards, behind Ryan Kesler. He struggled to produce offensively, however, and recorded a career-low three goals and nine points in 81 games. In 2007–08, he formed an effective duo with center Ryan Kesler on the third line as defensive forwards, countering opposing teams' top players while contributing offensively as well. During the season, he was fined an undisclosed amount by the league after spearing Detroit Red Wings forward Aaron Downey at centre ice during the two teams' pre-game skate on February 23, 2008. Alex finished the campaign with 12 goals, 31 points and a team-high plus-minus of +11. He was voted by Canucks' fans to receive the team's "Most Exciting Player Award" and the Fred J. Hume Award, given to the team's "unsung hero" as voted by the Canucks Booster Club. After remaining on the third line with Kesler at the start of the following season, head coach Alain Vigneault separated them after the All-Star break, placing Alex on the first line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, beginning on February 12, 2009, during a game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Alex's crash-the-net style – skating hard to the opposing team's goalmouth for rebounds or tip-ins – combined well with the Sedins' cycling plays. Vigneault's line adjustments were precipitated by a losing streak in January, which Burrows was instrumental in breaking. The Canucks' home winless streak had extended to eight games, a franchise record, when Alex broke a 3–3 tie with a shorthanded breakaway goal with 82 seconds remaining in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. This sparked a resurgence in the Canucks, spearheaded by Alex, who then immediately followed their record setting home losing streak with a record setting home winning streak, winning their next 10 games at home. Shortly thereafter, the Canucks extended Alex's contract with a four-year, $8 million deal on February 4, 2009, quadrupling his $525,000 salary. Following a game against the Edmonton Oilers on April 4th, he received a $2,500 fine from the league for punching Oilers enforcer Zach Stortini from the bench. Late in the campaign, Alex was selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association as the Canucks' nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded for perseverance, dedication and sportsmanship. He was not shortlisted for the award, however. Prior to the last game of the season, he received his second consecutive Most Exciting Player Award. Playing in a more offensive role on the first line for the latter part of the season, Alex finished the 2008–09 campaign with 51 points. His 28 goals broke Andrew Brunette's mark for the most in a single season by an ECHL alumnus (27 in 2006–07). In the subsequent first round of the 2009 playoffs, Alex scored the series-winning goal in overtime to sweep the St. Louis Blues. It was his second goal of the game. The Canucks advanced to meet the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, who defeated them in six games. Alex's level of play was noticeably diminished in the Chicago series and it was revealed afterwards that he required surgery to remove bone chips in his left wrist. He finished the playoffs with three goals and an assist over 10 games. The following season, Alex recorded back-to-back hat tricks against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes on January 5 and 7, 2010, respectively. It marked the first time an NHL player notched consecutive three-goal games since Ilya Kovalchuk in November of 2007 and the first time a Canucks player did so since Petri Skriko in 1986. With six goals and an assist over two games, Burrows was named the NHL First Star of the Week on January 11, 2010. Later in the 2009–10 season, Alex left during a game against the Los Angeles Kings after being hit in the throat by a Jarret Stoll slapshot. He was not injured and did not miss any games thereafter. Playing a full season on the Canucks' top line with the Sedins, Alex recorded a career-high 35 goals, 32 assists, 67 points and a +34 rating. His goals total ranked first on the Canucks. Fans voted him as recipient of the team's Most Exciting Player Award for the third consecutive season. The Canucks first line struggled to score in the playoffs, however. In 12 games, Alex scored three goals, two of which were into empty nets, and notched three assists. The Canucks advanced to the second round past the Los Angeles Kings, where they were eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks for the second consecutive year. It was revealed in the off-season that Alex was suffering from a shoulder injury, which he later received surgery for. While Alex's offensive numbers increased from playing on the top line, the Sedins' mutually benefitted from playing with him. Daniel and Henrik had not had a constant linemate on the first line since Anson Carter played with them in 2005–06. Since then, Vigneault had used a variety of wingers, including Markus Naslund, Taylor Pyatt and Steve Bernier, to fill out the unit. In those years, Daniel and Henrik were point-a-game players; with Burrows on their line, they vaulted into top scorers in the league, as Henrik won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading point-getter (Daniel scored at a similar pace, but played less due to an injury). Due to rehabilitation from the shoulder surgery, Alex missed the first ten games of the 2010–11 season. Continuing to play with the Sedins upon his return, he recorded 48 points (26 goals and 22 assists) in 72 games, sixth in team-scoring. Winning the Presidents' Trophy, the Canucks entered the 2011 playoffs as the first seed in the West and matched up against the Blackhawks for the third consecutive year. With a 3–0 lead in the series, the Canucks lost their next three games, resulting in a game seven. In the deciding game, he scored two goals in a 2–1 overtime win, helping Vancouver eliminate Chicago. After defeating the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks in rounds two and three, the Canucks reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 17 years. Playing the Boston Bruins, Alex received much attention of the series for allegedly biting opposing forward Patrice Bergeron during a scrum at the end of the first period in Game 1 of the series. While the two players were being held apart by a linesman, Alex appears to be shown biting down on Bergeron's finger while both players were pushing and shoving at one another. The incident was reviewed by the league, but was ruled unsuspendable with "no conclusive evidence that he intentionally bit Bergeron's finger." The following game, Alex scored his second overtime-winner of the playoffs, part of a three-point effort (two goals and an assist). Occurring 11 seconds into the extra period, it was the second-fastest goal scored from the start of an overtime game in Stanley Cup Finals history (Montreal Canadiens forward Brian Skrudland scored nine seconds into overtime in Game 2 of the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals against the Calgary Flames). With two overtime goals in one playoff season, Alex tied the NHL record, which was held by 28 other players. After leading two-games-to-none in the series, Vancouver went on to lose the Stanley Cup to Boston in seven contests. He finished the post-season with 9 goals and 17 points over 25 games. In 2011–12, Alex recorded 28 goals and 52 points in 80 contests, helping Vancouver to a second consecutive Presidents' Trophy. Facing the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings in the first round, they were eliminated in five games. He had one goal during the series. The Los Angeles Kings went on to become the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions. NHL Officials Controversy The night of his first star of the week selection, Alex and the Canucks played a controversial game against the Nashville Predators. With the game tied 2–2 in the third period, he was penalized twice by referee Stéphane Auger; once for diving and the other for interference. The latter call was deemed questionable by media sources, including TSN and the National Post. The interference penalty along with an additional penalty committed by Henrik Sedin resulted in Nashville's game-winning, 5-on-3 powerplay goal late in the game. With three seconds to go in regulation, Alex skated by Auger and protested the interference penalty, resulting in an unsportsmanlike minor and a ten-minute misconduct. Following the game, he accused Auger of having a personal vendetta against him for a play against the Predators the previous month that had made him look bad. After he had been hit into the boards by Nashville forward Jerred Smithson during a game on December 8, 2009, Auger assessed Smithson with a five-minute major and a game misconduct. However, the league later rescinded because it was believed Alex had embellished injury. Alex claimed that Auger told him before the January 11th game: "you made me look bad calling the Smithson penalty so I'm going to get you back tonight." He went on to tell reporters that Auger "should stay out for the rest of the year making calls like that ... We just blew two points because of his officiating tonight." The following day, the NHL fined Alex US$2,500 for publicly criticizing Auger and deemed that his claims "cannot be substantiated." Later that week, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)'s Hockey Night in Canada telecast aired an 11-minute segment hosted by Ron MacLean and NHL vice-president Colin Campbell reviewing Alex's past transgressions, spanning two years. The segment was widely criticized for being biased against him and failing to illustrate both sides of the argument. Alex's parents subsequently issued a formal letter of complaint to the CBC, accusing MacLean of "verbal assassination" and for displaying "no journalistic balance." The following Saturday after the segment aired, the Canucks refused any interviews with the CBC before, during or after their game against the Chicago Blackhawks, which was broadcast on "Hockey Night in Canada". The boycott was ordered by Canucks general manager Mike Gillis after MacLean refused to apologize. CBC and Canucks representatives later agreed in a conference call to "move on" and team players were allowed to resume interviews. MacLean later issued an unofficial apology aimed to clarify the situation. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International International Play }} Following his seventh NHL season, Alex received his first invite to the Canadian national team for the 2012 IIHF World Championship, held in Finland and Sweden. His Vancouver Canucks team had been eliminated in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, making him available for selection. At 31 years old, he was the oldest player on the Canadian roster. Making his Team Canada debut against Slovakia in the first game of the tournament, Alex fell to the ice and hit his head after colliding with two opposing players. After leaving the ice, he was kept out of the contest with concerns that he had sustained a concussion. The following day, his agent, Paul Corbeil, told reporters that while he was symptom free, a return to the lineup would not be possible for four-to-five days, as per team protocol in scenarios in which a concussion is suspected. Returning to the lineup a week after the hit, Alex scored his first career international goal against Finnish goaltender Kari Lehtonen in a 5–3 win. The following contest, he scored a shorthanded goal in an 8–0 win against Kazakhstan to earn player of the game honours for Canada. Accolades ECHL Awards Vancouver Canucks Awards NHL Awards Ball Hockey Awards Ball Hockey Career Alex began playing organized ball hockey when he was 19 years old. In 2001, he won his first national championship with the Montreal Red Lites in Burnaby, British Columbia. Alex went on to win the national championship in every year he played with the Red Lites. He was the tournament scoring leader in 2002 and 2003 and earned All-Star Team honours from 2002 to 2004. In 2005, he scored two goals in a 5–2 win against the Toronto Midnight Express in the national final to capture his fifth consecutive Canadian title with the Red Lites. Burrows was named the Tournament MVP by the Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA). Alex returned the following year to lead the Red Lites to a sixth consecutive title in 2006. Alex made his first appearance on the international stage in ball hockey when he was named to Canada's national ball hockey team for the 2003 World Championships in Sierre, Switzerland. He helped Canada beat the Czech Republic 6–1 in the final. Tying for the lead in tournament scoring with five goals and 10 points, Burrows was named the Most Valuable Forward. Two years later, in 2005, Alex won his second World Championship in as many appearances with Canada in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He capped the season off by being named the 2005 International Player of the Year by the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF). The following year, he was voted in a Canadian poll as the country's greatest ball hockey player ever. Alex has credited ball hockey for his fitness and discipline which has carried over to the NHL. Following his first full season with the Canucks in 2006–07, he retired from his ball hockey career. In 2010, he was inducted into the CBHA Hall of Fame, along with national teammate and goaltender Michel Perodeau. He is also a member of the ISBHF Hall of Fame. Personal Life Alex's father Rodney emigrated from London, England while his mother, Carole is a native from Quebec and is an elementary school principal. He has two sisters (one older and one younger) as well. He grew up speaking mostly French and attended French schools. His English has a noticeable French accent. In July 2010, Alex married his longtime girlfriend, Nancy Roy and they have two daughters: Victoria (born on April 27, 2011) and Lexie (born on March 4, 2013). They live in Montreal during the offseason. Alex was the closest friend on the Canucks to former teammate Luc Bourdon, who died in a motorcycle accident in May 2009. In the hockey season following his death, he occasionally celebrated goals with a bow-and-arrow mime, a gesture that Bourdon himself did after scoring during his junior career. Alex and his wife remained close to Bourdon's girlfriend, Charlene Ward. During the 2009 off-season, Alex was involved in an assault incident while playing in a summer ice hockey league. Police were called to an arena in Kirkland, Québec, Canada on July 21 after he allegedly struck a goaltender, 19-year-old Koray Celik, in the face, but no arrests were made at the scene. Category:1981 births Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:Vancouver Canucks players Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players Category:Manitoba Moose players Category:Columbia Inferno players Category:NHL alternate captains